Happy May the Forth Be With You Day & Happy Cinco DeMayo

Dear Parents of Room 10,

      Wow!  I can’t believe how quickly this year is flying by both personally and professionally. Your children have been an amazing class and 5B community, and I look forward to spending the remainder of the year with them. Today we marked another milestone. Not only is it May 4^th (May the Fourth be With You Day), but we also celebrated Cinco de Mayo. It was such a great day!  I am sharing some photos I took this morning!  In case you are wondering, the two Chewbaccas are Connor and Owen!

      Things are shaping up for our Nature’s Classroom visit, May 14-16. This is the first time we have ever had school the day after our return, so I suspect we will all be a tad tired on Thursday. Please expect us to arrive back to school at around 2pm Wednesday afteroon. You should either be here to pick up your child at that time, or you need to arrange for someone else to take them home.  Mrs. Bonacquist will keep you updated throughout the day on the 16^th about our exact arrival time. I have been asked by some folks about how to contact their child while we are away. Unless it is an emergency, you will not hear from me or your child by telephone during our trip. However, I will update the class blog with information and pictures.

….. Growing to Maturity (henceforth known as GTM) is scheduled for the end of May. I will be teaching the boys with Mr. Burns and Mrs. Ward, Mrs. O’Shea and Ms. Qualtere will work with the girls.  Details and an opportunity to view the materials we use will be coming soon!                                     Enjoy the weekend!  Lester B. and class

Cursive FUN!

Dear Students and Parents of Room 10,

      Last week was quite busy with NYS ELA testing.  During testing time, it can be very stressful for all of us.  With testing comes the promise of Spring and the attempts to get outside for a bit to relax and let the kids be kids.  I LOVED watching them play tag on Friday afternoon. They ran and played together, and I watched with amazement. Ah, to be 11 years old and carefree. Or better yet, to be 11  years old and be able to run all around the playground without breaking a sweat or huffing and puffing!

      Cursive has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Several years ago, I was interviewed by a staff writer for the Times Union about the dying art of cursive. Although I wasn't crazy about the angle that the writer took in constructing this article, I appreciated the time given to the "Latin" of written communication. As you know, I have been working on cursive this year with your children. On Friday, we used shaving cream to practice all of the lower-case letters. This week, we will focus on upper-case letters. Whether you share my enthusiasm for cursive or view it as archaic, I have taken some really cute photos of the children using shaving cream to write their letters.  Unfortunately, Dylan and Harrison are missing from these photos.  Lester B. and class

5B Happenings!

Greetings from Room 10,

       First of all, I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of the 5B families for your support during our 5th grade musical. It truly takes the support of all of you to make this event happen. Despite the snow and postponements, this year’s musical was amazing! I am so proud of all the children!!  I am attaching a photo of the whole cast and crew!  

       This week the children completed their final assignment for our second book club.  They did an outstanding job presenting with their groups.  Their Google Slides were beautifully done, and they were all so poised during their book talks.  Kudos to all 21 members of the Betor Bunch! Attached are photos of each group!  

       Our persuasive writing unit is winding down. The children are preparing to finalize their piece. I have one last mini-lesson to present on Monday. Then the children will take one final look, print and publish.

       Next Thursday evening is our Wax Museum. The children should arrive no later than 6:15pm, and the museum will be open from 6:30-7:30pm. If you would like to send in either a sweet or healthy treat for our bake sale, please use the following link for “Sign-Up Genius.”

http://www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C084AACA92DA1FF2-waxmuseum

       The final two pictures I am posting are the March Phenology photos.  Enjoy!

DARE Graduation

Good Afternoon,

       I am posting two photos in our Blog today. One photo is a class picture from our DARE graduation on Friday. Congratulations to Connor O'Malley for delivering an amazing speech. Not only was the content on point, but the delivery (animated and with lots of eye contact) was spectacular.  Also, thank you to Thomas Seedhom for calling off our class roster as the DARE diplomas were being given out.  The DARE song was beautifully orchestrated! Over all it was a terrific event. Thank you Detective Beck for teaching the children the DARE program so well.

      

       The second photo is from our Thursday book talk. I had 11 young ladies read Wish Tree, a book written by Katherine Applegate and join me for a book discussion. We enjoyed talking about the book during recess and lunch, as well as Clementines and cookies. I appreciate their insight and willingness to give up recess to sit with me and talk about a book. 

     

       PLAY REHEARSAL REMINDER:  Tuesday is play rehearsal day. Children should be brought to school by 7:45am.  Last week at 7:45am, there were 9 children missing. We had children arrive as late as 7:55am. It may not seem like a lot of time, but when we only have until 9:10am, every minute counts.

Thank you and enjoy the holiday tomorrow!                Lester Betor and Class

First Post of 2018

Dear Families of Room 10,
       Today was our class holiday party! Thank you to everyone who sent in a delicious breakfast treat.  The children enjoyed their time together socializing. Special thanks to Mrs. Nace and Mrs. O'Malley for organizing the snacks.
       This week we began working on grammar, starting with nouns, verbs, subjects and predicates. I shared the Grammar Rock videos from the 1970s with the children. They are still a great resource.  Next week we will begin vocabulary. The children will be given 10 words each Monday for the next five weeks. They will be responsible for knowing both the spelling and definition of each of the ten words.  This unit will culminate with a 50-word spelling/definition test.
       Our DARE graduation will be next Friday, January 12th at 9:45am in the gymnasium. You are all invited to attend.
       The Applebee's pancake breakfast will be held on Saturday, January 20th from 8-10am. You may submit the volunteer form thru next Friday. Please consider volunteering along with your child. Also, don't forget to bring some cash with you so you can participate in our 50-50 raffle.
       I am attaching photos from this morning. Today is friendship/twin day.  Enjoy! Lester Betor and class